Many people desire to be happy, but how many people are experiencing genuine happiness? People often find happiness from their external circumstances. When life is going well they are happy, but when life does not go as they had hoped then they lose their happiness. Paradoxically, the more people seek to find happiness, the more elusive it becomes. Solomon gave us sage wisdom concerning the true source of happiness,

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22)

Happiness and joy are often used interchangeably, yet there are some significant differences. We often find happiness from our experiences, whereas joy is derived from our internal attitude. The Hebrew word for heart often refers to one’s inner life. If your heart is filled with joy, then you are better able to face the challenges of life. Joy can enable you to maintain resilience, even in the face of adversity.

Norman Cousins experienced this truth after he returned from a stressful overseas trip and was diagnosed with a painful and life threatening illness. Cousins reasoned that if stress had contributed to his illness, then positive emotions may be able to help him recover. With his doctors’ consent, he checked himself out of the hospital and into a hotel and began taking high doses of vitamin C and exposing himself to comedy films and humorous material. He discovered laughter enabled him to experience relief from pain, even when morphine could not alleviate his symptoms.

This created a profound change in his life and he recorded his experiences in his best-selling book, Anatomy of an Illness. Cousins came to realize, “Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.” He experienced first-hand that our beliefs affect our biology. He came to view laughter as inner jogging, restoring his physical and emotional health. People may take a pill to feel better; however, they are usually only treating the symptoms. The key is to deal with the heart condition. What is the condition of your heart?

Solomon points out that the converse is also true, a broken spirit is deleterious to your health. The word “broken” conveys the idea of being afflicted or wounded – at times we can be our own worst enemies. We see this contrast throughout in the book of Proverbs,

A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken. (Proverbs 15:13)

The spirit of a man can endure his sickness, but as for a broken spirit who can bear it? (Proverbs 18:14)

Take care of the condition of your heart for it affects not only your emotional well being, but also your physical health.

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

Associate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

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